Containing unit



Nov. 28, 1950 Filed Aug. 10, 1946 F; o. JOHNSON CONTAINING UNIT 2Sheets-Sheet 1 N [1206222 0]? 1? fiea engt f 0. c/fiZZS'OfL F. O.JOHNSON CONTAINING UNIT Nov. 28,. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 10.1946 Patented Nov. 28, 1950 CONTAINING UNIT Frederick 0. Johnson,Chicago, Ill., assignor to International Harvester Company, acorporation of New Jersey Application August 10, 1946, Serial No.689,786

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved breathing means for controllingthe humidity of a container. More specifically it relates to an improvedbreathing device for keeping a container and a long-term storage unitsubstantially dehumidified over long periods of time.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved breathing meansfor a container adapted to contain objects that must be kept free ofmoisture.

It is another object to provide an improved breathing means for anoutdoor storage unit, said breathing means being efiective to keep theinterior of said unit substantially free of moisture over long periodsof time and through all types of atmospheric changes.

A further object is to provide an improved inexpensive storage unit thatwill keep articles free of moisture over long periods of time and thatdoes not require extensive service and upkeep.

Another object is to provide a breathing means for an enclosurecontaining objects which must be kept dry, said breathing meansincluding a chamber which has a volume at least equal to the maximumchange in volume of the air within the enclosure due to atmosphericconditions.

Another object is to provide a breathing unit for an enclosurecontaining objects which must be kept dry, said breathing unit includinga chamber which retains dry air that has expanded from the enclosureinto said chamber, and from which the dry air may be drawn uponcontraction of the air within the enclosure due to atmospheric changes.

Another object is to provide an improved breathing unit for a container,said breathing unit including a passage which is adapted to contain dryand moist air, and having means within said unit for minimizingturbulance of the air within said passage, thereby eliminatingsubstantial mixing of the moist air with the dry air which willinitially be drawn into the container upon contraction of the airtherein due to atmospheric changes.

A still further object is to provide an improved breathing means for acontainer, said breathing means being effective to dehumidify the air asit enters the container, said means also including a chamber which willcollect and substantially retained the dehumidified air from the generalatmosphere as it leaves said container due to atmospheric changes.

Other objects will become more readily apparent upon an examination ofthe following specification when read in conjunction with the drawings,in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view in cross-section through a containershowing an improved type of breathing means.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of an outdoor type of storage unithaving portions broken away to show relevant parts of the invention.

Referring particularly to Figures 1, 2, and 3, a container is generallydesignated by the reference character IE1. The container in includes acylindrical body H which is closed. at its lower end by means. of abottom portion 92, thereby forming a containing chamber I2. The phantomlines indicated by the reference character I3 represent an objectcontained within the chamber l2.

The upper portion of the cylindrical body II is closed by a combinedcover and breathing unit generally indicated by the reference character[4. The cover or breathing unit l4 consists of a pair of upper and lowerannular plate members l5. The lower plate member 5 is integrally formedwith a vertically extending cylindrical band which extends beyond theupper surface of the upper plate member I5 and is suitably connected tosaid plate in sealing engagement by means of brazing welding orotherconventional methods. A breathing chamber I1 is formed between the upperand lower plate members l5. A vertically extending ribbon-like element[8 is spirally wound within the chamber I l and forms a labyrinthpassage E9 of relativel small cross-sectional area. As best shown inFigure 2, the passage !9 is extremely long and tortuous, this featurebeing of prime importance as will presently appear. The upper and lowerends of the element It are connected to the upper and lower plates l5 insealing engagement so that air passing through this passage will have tofollow all the convolutions of the spiral.

Centrally located and at one end of the passage [9 is a breathing tubeor conduit 20 which extends vertically through and beyond the platemember 55. The conduit 29) includes openings 2| in communication withthepassage [9. The conduit 26 is in communication with the atmosphere bymeans of openings 22. A weather. cap 23 is suitably fastened over theupper end of the conduit 20.

As best shown in Figure 2 the maximum peripheral end of the passage I9is provided with a plurality of peripherally extending slots 24. Theslots 24 are immediately adjacent to a mass of desiccant material 25which is compacted between the outer peripheral surface of the elementl8 and the inner surface of the cylindrical band I6. Apair of annularlyextending shelves 26 are provided for retaining the desiccant material25 in a compacted form. As best shown in Figure 3 the lower plate member[5 is provided with a plurality of slots 27, said slots serving to placethe chamber I2 and the chamber IT in communication with. one another.

As indicated in Figure 4 an outdoor storage unit is generaly designatedby the reference character 3!). The storage unit 3-!) includes ahorizontal concrete base 3| which is imbedded in the earth 32. Aplurality of enclosures 33 are fastened in the concrete base 3| andthese enclosures are constructed of wire meshsprayed with concrete. Theyare then suitably finished with a water-proof coating, thus providing aninexpensive: and readily assembled construction. Each enclosure 33 isprovided with a containing chamber 34. The containers l previouslydescribed are suitably supported within the chamber 34 by means oftransverse supports 35. Each enclosure is charged with sufiicientdesiccant to sufficiently dry the contained air and objects storedtherein.

In order to keep the enclosures 33 dehumidified, a pair of breathingunits 35* are provided. Each breathing unit 39 consists of a pair ofcasings 4t and M suitably connected for communication with one anotherby means of a conduit 22. The casing 40- is provided with a dehydratingchamber 43 A plurality of trays -4 are connected within the casing ea inav staggered manner to form a circuitous path through which the incomingand outgoing air must follow. Each tray contains desiccant materialindicated by 45.

The casing i includes a breathing chamber 66 provided with a pluralityof horizontally extending baill'es connected to the casing M in astaggered manner to provide a circuitous path for incoming and outgoingair. A breathing tube 49 is connected to the casing 44 to provide forcommunication of the chamber 46 with the atmosphere.

In operation the article it is placed within the containing chamber #2and the container is closed by means of the combined cover and breathingunit. The article or object to be stored is generally provided with adesiccant bag (not shown) or is sprayed with a desiccant to effectinitial drying of the air within the chamber 12. But for the breathingconduit 22 the chamber i2 is thus hermetically sealed.

As th air within the container l0 contracts due to atmospheric changes,the air that is contained within the passage I9 is forced through thevdesiccant and into the chamber E2. The air thus having passed throughthe desiccant is substantially dried or dehumidified. Thus the airsurrounding the article to be stored is free of moisture and corrosionor damage to the article is avoided. The air which has entered the charmher [2 is, of course, immediately displaced with outside air which stillcontains substantial moisture.

As the dry air within the chamber l2 expands. due to atmospheric change,the reverse cycle takes place- Some of the dry air leaves the chamber i2and reenters the passage l9, thereby forcing some of the moisture ladenair back intothe outside atmosphere. The passage I9 is constructed sothat it has a predetermined volume which is of prime importance. It canreadily be computed what the maximum change in the volume of air withinthe chamber l2 might be under varying atmospheric conditions. Thereforedepending upon the contemplated use of the container; the maximumchanges'are, anticipated and the combinedcover and breathing unit M isprovided with a passage which will have a volume at least equal to themaximum change in the volume of the air within the chamber I2.

Therefore, despite a maximum expansion of the air within the chamber l2due to atmospheric conditions, the dry air leaving said chamber Will beretained in the passage l9. Thus when the, cycle. is again reversed itis the dry air which will reenter the chamber l2. At no time will thedry air escape from the passage 19 in any sufficient quantity, nor willmoist air reenter the container. Thus, of course, the desiccant willbeusable; over great lengths of time without replacement or service.Since, because of" the volume of the passage IS, the dry air isretained. in the. passage, any moisture which might enter the desiccantafter the initial cycle would havetoenter by diifusion only.

During the stage of: the cycle. when dryair is within: the passage lit.the long and; labyrinth shape of the passage i9 is especially'efiective; The narrow cross-sectional area of. the. passage with:respect to its length: will decrease the rate at which moisture might becarried to the desiccant by difiusion.

Assuming a stage in the cycle wherein. the passage IQ is only partiallyfilled with. dry air, that is, air' which has previously passed throughthe desiccant, the remaining portion of the passage is then of coursefilled With air that has entered from the outside and has ahigh moisturecontent. It is now, of course, extremely desirable to prevent the dryair and the" moist air from mixing at the point of separation. In orderto. prevent such mixing due to the turbulencecaused by convectioncurrents, the long passage of narrow cross-section is especiallyefiective. The narrowness and extent of the passage minimizes anyturbulence in the air and thus mixing of the dry with the moist air issubstantially prevented.

Thus it can readily'be seen that a container of this type can be usedfor long periods of time Without replacing the desiccant andwithoutextensive' maintenance. The maximum volume of the air developedwithin the container is of course dependent upon the size of the articleto be stored and the change in the atmosphere. Since these conditionscan generally be readily anticipated, the size of the combined cover andbreathing unit can be predetermined.

The principles incorporated in the container can, of course, beincorporated in shipping containers or any other type of enclosure whereit is desired to keep articles dry for long periods of time. It isreadily adaptable to warehouses, building construction, etc.

The container to is especially adaptable to the outdoor type of storageunit indicated in Figure 4. The storage unit 30 is extremely simple tomanufacture and requires very little upkeep; Since this type ofconstruction can be placed in any outdoor area, articles may be kept dryover long periods of time in an inexpensive and eflicient manner. Theoutdoor storage unit 33 and the breathing unit 39 are similar inprinciple to the breathing unit t4. As the pressure within theenclosures 33 decreases, the incoming air passes through the circuitouspassage 48 of the breathing chamber 46. The air thereupon passes overthe desiccant in the dehydrating chamber 43. Upon the air within theenclosures 33 expanding, due to atmospheric changes, the reverse processtakes place. The casings 4| are so constructed that the minimum volumeof each casing M is equal to one-half the total maximum change of thevolume of the air in the space surrounding the containers I0. In otherwords, the combined volume of both the casings 41' is at least equal tothe maximum change in the air which might be developed within theenclosures due to atmospheric expansion. The chamber 46 is provided withthe circuitous passage, similar to the spiral labyrinth 19 of thecontainer. The effect of the circuitous passage 48 is similar to thepassage 19 and the unit functions in a like manner since the sameprinciples are utilized. It is an adaptation of the same principle to adifierent type of construction. The dry air is retained in the passage48 and is redrawn into the enclosures upon changes in the atmosphere.Since each container I0 is provided with its own breathing units 14,which combinedly functions with the breathing units 39, double assuranceis provided that the objects within the containers will not be exposedto moisture. It is, of course, adequate to store any conventional typeof container or object within the enclosures 33, and the breathing units39 are suificient to control the moisture content.

It can be seen that the objects of the invention have been fullyachieved, and it must be understood that modifications may be made whichdo not depart from the spirit of the invention as disclosed nor asdefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a storage unit having a casing for containing anobject, a breathing system for said casing including a chamber incommunication with the atmosphere and with said casing, said chamberbeing formed with a continuous labyrinth passage of narrow crosssectionrelative to its length, the volume of said continuous passage being atleast equal to the maximum change in the volume of air developed withinsaid casing due to atmospheric changes,

' and a dehydrating means associated with said chamber and with saidcasing, said dehydrating means including a desiccant material betweensaid casing and said passage.

2. In combination with a container, a combined cover and breathing unitfor said container comprising a pair of spaced elements connected toform a chamber, a spirally wound element positioned between said spacedelements to form a continuous labyrinth passage in communication withsaid container, the volume of said passage being at least equal to themaximum change in the volume of the air developed within said casing dueto atmospheric changes, a desiccant material at one end of said passage,and a conduit at the other end of said passage, said conduit being incommunication with said passage and the atmosphere.

3. In combination with a storage unit having a casing for containingobjects to be stored, a breathing unit comprising a first chamber havinga plurality of desiccant filled trays arranged to provide a circuitousair passage, a conduit in communication with said first chamber and saidcasing, and a second chamber in communication with said first chamber,said second chamber having a labyrinth passage in communication with theatmosphere, the volume of said first chamber being at least equal to themaximum change in the volume of air developed within the casing due toatmospheric changes.

4. In combination with a storage unit having a casing for containingobjects to be stored, a breathing unit comprising a first chamber havinga plurality of desiccant filled trays arranged to provide a circuitousair passage, a conduit in communication with said first chamber and saidcasing, a second chamber in communication with said first chamber, saidsecond chamber having a labyrinth passage in communication with theatmosphere, the volume of said first chamber being at least equal to themaximum change in the volume of air developed within the casing due toatmospheric changes, and a desiccant element within said casing.

FREDERICK O'. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,806,292 Hunt May 19, 19311,841,691 Wilson Jan. 19, 1932 2,150,859 Gibson Mar. 14, 1939 2,279,961Whittaker Apr. 14, 1942 2,317,882 Boesel Apr. 27, 1943 2,362,796 BoeselNov. 14, 1944 2,364,378 Levinsen Dec. 5, 1944 2,428,426 Lindsay Oct. 7,1947

